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Former NBA Player Talks with Stoneham High School Students About Drug Addiction

Chris Herren, a Fall River native who used to play for the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets, spoke with students Thursday about his past drug problems.

You may remember hearing Chris Herren's name 15 years ago as the leading scorer of Durfee High School before eventually being drafted in the second round by the Denver Nuggets with the 33rd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Problems Crop up During College Days

The Fall River native played his collegiate ball at Boston College (B.C.) until his experimentation with drugs changed his life forever. Herren, who played with the B.C. in 1994-95, was kicked off the Eagles' roster in 1995. Then, he tried to flee Boston and his drug habits to play at Fresno State from 1996-99, but he later discovered he couldn't play or live without drugs.

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Herren battled significant drug problems, from alcohol to heroin, and no matter where he was whether it was a practice, a game or a different country, Herren found his fix.

Herren, 36, has been drug free since June 4, 2008 and sober since Aug. 1, 2008 and has been making trips around the world to talk to students, addicts and athletes about his life story. 

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Making an Impression in Stoneham

On Thursday, the former guard for the 2000-01 Boston Celtics visited students at Stoneham High School and touched many students’ lives that day.

Senior Danny Shannon, couldn't believe Herren was a drug addict while playing basketball at such a high level.

“It was shocking to find out he was a drug addict when he was in the NBA,” Shannon said. “It really makes you think that maybe some of the players in the NBA now are dealing with the same types of addictions and we have no idea about it.”

Shannon has heard numerous times throughout the years that drugs like alcohol and marijuana are “gateway” drugs and may lead to worse drugs like cocaine, OxyContin and heroin, but he hadn't heard a story that changed a person’s life quite like Herren's before.

“When it comes from a teacher it doesn’t really mean much, but when you hear it from someone who it actually affected, it means a lot more,” Shannon said.

Many lessons were learned during this Herren's speech and it made Shannon put life in perspective.

“I would now tell people to stop doing drugs early before they start using hard drugs like cocaine and heroin,” Shannon said. “The life of a drug addict does not seem as good as one of not being addicted to drugs.”

Throwing Caution to the Wind

Junior Lynn Kozlowski couldn't believe how many chances Herren got to be someone, but decided to throw it all away.

“Knowing that he had so many chances in life to have a great opportunity to play in the NBA was shocking,” Kozlowski said. “For being a very talented basketball player, having a huge future in front of him should have made him realize that he was drowning all of his dreams just to get high. That shows you how powerful of an impact drugs can have on somebody’s life.”

Kozlowski finally found out how much damage drugs can actually do to your body and how hard it is to kick the habit after listening to Herren’s story.

“(Drugs) are addictive after the first try and then you want to try (them) again and then it becomes something they do on a daily basis,” Kozlowski said. "You start begging for them and stealing money just so you can get high because now that is the one thing you need most without crashing.

“Drugs can trick you and take over your life until you realize you need help, so please do not be afraid to say ‘No.’”

Drugs Don't Pick You

Senior Cody Gearin realized that becoming a drug addict can happen to anyone no matter who you are.

“It is a scary thing and Chris happened to get caught up with the wrong people and it had a major negative effect on his life,” Gearin said.

After listening to Herren, Gearin realized never to get mixed up with the wrong crowd because it only takes one time to become an addict.

“Chris never thought that any of the things he did could ever happen to him, but he was wrong and ended up throwing away a great amount of his life and NBA career,” Gearin said. “His children and wife were also affected by his addiction.”

Gearin doesn't know any drug addicts personally, but if he did he now knows he would try to get them the help they need and get their lives turned around.

“They don’t want to live the life of an addict and nobody wants to see them suffer through an addiction, so the best thing we can do is offer programs that can them,” Gearin said.

For more information on Herren’s life story, read his book entitled “Basketball Junkie,” which talks about his career on and off the court. Also, Herren starred in ESPN's "30 for 30" segment called “Unguarded,” which illustrated his highs and lows as an athlete.

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